


Harry Potter and the Zombie Apocalypse

by ereshai



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Background Eddie Carmichael/Owen Cauldwell/Pansy Parkinson, Changing Tenses, Character Death, Community: harry100, Double Drabble, Drabble, Drabble Collection, Dreams and Nightmares, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Triple Drabble, Zombie Apocalypse, disturbing imagery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-21
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2018-05-08 06:57:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 69
Words: 9,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5487905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ereshai/pseuds/ereshai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry Potter vs. zombies, 100 words at a time</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sentiment

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt 268 - Past  
> Implied character death.
> 
> (This is an ongoing drabble series, originally posted on the harry100 LJ community. Updates every 2 weeks or so.)

Harry faced the creature before him.  
  
He’d come upon familiar faces amongst the undead before - the first time had nearly been his last. But one couldn’t let the past get in the way of what needed to be done, no matter how difficult.  
  
It was harder this time. The sight of the person - thing - _Ron_ \- stumbling toward him killed the last bit of hope his friend still lived.  
  
Sentiment had killed many good and powerful wizards in the beginning. He wasn’t going to let it happen to him after surviving for so long.  
  
Harry raised his wand. It was time.


	2. The Gift That Keeps On Giving

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 269 - Present

_Today is a gift; that’s why it’s called the present_ , the ceramic plaque proclaimed.

What utter shite. Harry would gladly exchange this present for his worst days with the Dursleys. He almost longed for the time when only Voldemort and his lot were trying to kill him.

Even the uncertain future would be better than this; he’d either have escaped the undead surrounding the shop he was currently trapped in or he’d be dead. Either way, it would be over.

Time to go. He readied his wand and his crowbar. If today was a gift, he’d like to return it.


	3. An Army (Of One) Travels On Its Stomach

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 270 - Future

Meals were becoming a worry. Edible food was the trouble, actually; food was everywhere, but a lot of it had gone off or was too impractical for his new life of constantly being on the move. At this rate, he’d soon look like one of the undead himself. Dirty and gaunt, practically skeletal. Would the zombies want to eat him then?

It was a race to see what would kill him first; the undead or starvation. Although the rats he’d seen were looking well-fed…

For a man with no future, he was certainly very worried about living to see it.


	4. On a Lonely Street

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 271 - Neighbour (double drabble)

_Creak._  
  
It was a quiet night - no moans of the undead echoing through the streets to keep him awake for once. The silence of their absence was almost as unsettling; every little noise was magnified.  
  
_Creak._  
  
Outside of Harry’s current safehouse, a desiccated corpse hung from a signpost, a rope around its neck, swaying with every stiff breeze - a very gruesome neighbour. Its existence was puzzling - suicide by hanging wouldn’t prevent anyone from becoming a zombie. Perhaps someone had killed one and put it there as a warning, like an odd scarecrow. As if that would ward off the undead.  
  
_Creak._  
  
The noise was keeping him awake. He’d cast _Silencio_ , but spellcasting attracted zombies like flies to rotting meat. Too bad he hadn’t discovered that until after the plague was well underway and anyone who might have found that information useful was long dead. Too bad learning it had cost Harry’s tiny group of survivors their lives and left Harry completely alone.  
  
_Creak._  
  
Should he risk going out in the dark to cut it down? It was only for one night. He looked out at it. Across the street, a curtain in a window moved, revealing a pale, _living_ , face.


	5. Ring of Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 272 - Breakthrough

Harry looked out at the milling zombies. Where had they all come from? _He_ certainly hadn’t done anything stupid enough to attract them. That left the person hiding across the street. It was enough to make him reconsider his plan to join up with them. But he couldn’t just leave them.  
  
He knew what he had to do. Harry gathered his things and readied his wand; the damage had been done. He flung open the door and moved out fast, blasting his way through the horde. When he was surrounded, he called down a firestorm and turned them to ash.


	6. I Bet You Weren't Expecting Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 273 - Harsh

Harry fell to his knees. He gulped in a breath of the heated air and started coughing, the harsh sound echoing in the sudden quiet.  
  
He had to keep moving. While all of the gathered zombies had been incinerated, the spell he’d used would attract twice that number. He might as well have sent up a flare and started shouting ‘Free lunch, come and get it!’ at the top of his lungs. They had to leave.  
  
Harry staggered to his feet and toward the house. As he approached, the door swung open, revealing a familiar face. “Pansy Parkinson?” he croaked.


	7. This Just Keeps Getting Better and Better

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 274 - Counting

“Get in here,” Pansy snapped. Harry stumbled through the door and after a quick scan of the street, she closed it behind him.  
  
“Still not very bright, are you?” she sneered. “But maybe you’ll be more useful than not in spite of that.” She led him through an archway into a sitting room. It was full of people.  
  
Four Muggles sat on the couch; a man and a woman at either end with two small children between them. Two wizards leaned against a wall; they looked vaguely familiar.  
  
Harry sighed. Eight was a larger group than he’d been counting on.


	8. Come With Me If You Want To Live

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 275 - Winter Solstice (double drabble)

“We need to leave immediately,” Harry said without waiting for introductions. He could learn names later. If they made it. “Gather your things.”

  
“Oh, but couldn’t we stay one more night?” the Muggle woman pleaded. “The children are exhausted by this constant moving. And it’s the Solstice,” she added in a low voice, as if the children weren’t sitting right next to her. “We were hoping to celebrate Yule in some small way.”

  
“Those… things… don’t exactly go on holiday. We have to get as far away as we can, as quickly as we can. More will be coming soon.”

 

“What have you done now, Potter?” Pansy hissed.

  
“I’m trying to save you, Parkinson,” he hissed back. “I did consider leaving without you. Let’s. Go.”

  
“What’s the point?” the Muggle man said. “They’ll only find us again. Every night, the same thing. It’s enough to drive a person mad.”

  
“I can go days without seeing one of them,” Harry said.  “I know what I’m doing.” Everyone looked at Pansy. She nodded and they all started to move.

  
Harry considered the children. _Why not?_ He pulled two sweets from his pocket and held them out. “Happy Solstice.” Better than nothing, right?


	9. Auld Lang Syne

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's new companions test his resolve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt #276 - Resolutions

Harry had made it another year. His survival hadn’t been so doubtful since Hogwarts. He’d been happier then, at least. In better company, too.  
  
“Not even a small spell?” Parkinson insisted on asking again. “You didn't mean-“  
  
“No. I’ve explained why.” Harry remembered how hard it had been to stop using magic - spellcasting was like breathing. Even the Muggles weren’t taking it well.  
  
“Here now,” Mr. Roberts, the Muggle, spoke up. “Surely a bit of hot water for tea won’t do any harm?”  
  
“Surely it will,” Harry retorted. He took a deep, calming breath. _I will not strangle the Muggle_.


	10. Mad Skillz

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt #277 - Skill

Harry tried the door of the building he’d chosen. It was locked.

“What now?” Pansy said with a sneer. She was still angry about not being allowed to use magic; they all were.

“…simple unlocking spell…” He heard Eddie Carmichael, one of the wizards, mutter. Mr. Roberts snorted derisively.

Harry ignored them and knelt, putting the lock at eye level. “Keep watch,” he instructed. He pulled a long, thin bit of metal and a piece of wire from his pocket and got to work.

The door was open within moments. He’d improved quite a lot since his first clumsy attempts.


	11. In My Memory Lock'd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 278 - Hard to Forget

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title from _Hamlet_ by William Shakespeare.

In his dreams, Harry can feel the magic dancing through him, waiting to burst out in a _lumos_ , a _silencio_ , an _alohomora_. He flies through the air on a broom, chasing a bit of gold that’s just out of his reach. His friends are with him, though he can’t see their faces. He turns his head…

A finger jabs his side. “It’s your turn to watch.”

“We’re safe enough,” he mumbles. He’d almost seen them again. Alive, not the way he’d last seen them.

“No such thing as a safe place anymore,” Pansy says.

He nods. It’s hard to forget.


	12. The Ivory Tower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 279 - Shiver

Living without magic has sensitized Harry to the presence of major enchantments such as the Concealment Charms on Diagon Alley or the Ministry. The charms had continued to do their work despite desperate attempts to dismantle them. Those places, still hidden, had been surrounded by the undead in such numbers that wards and walls alike had finally fallen to them.

Another such place is before them, saved only by its sheer inaccessibility by anything but magical means. It might as well be on the moon for all they can reach it. They can’t Apparate in - despite the distance, the amount of magic powering the wards is making Harry shiver - and the ring of zombies surrounding the place makes it impossible to walk up and knock on the heavily reinforced door. Whoever is in there would be foolish to allow them in anyway. In the beginning, too many desperate people had hidden infected bites in order to gain access to safe havens and those safe havens had been overrun. Trust among survivors is thin on the ground these days.

“How do we get them to let us in?” Pansy grumbles.

“Would we be able to get out again, though?” Harry wonders.


	13. Spare My Blushes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 280 - Leap

They left the tower behind them. For most of them, very reluctantly. Harry kept his relief hidden; he had no wish to be trapped in an unknown place, surrounded by so much magic.  
  
“I assume you have a plan?” Mrs. Roberts snapped. She had her children by their hands, dragging them along as she stomped up beside him. He was reminded of his Aunt Petunia.  
  
“Get far away from that,” Harry gestured behind them, “and find a safe place to stay for a few days.”  
  
“Why do we even listen to you?” she wailed.  
  
“You don’t have to, you know.”  
  
She had nothing to say to that and fell back to walk by her husband.  
  
Pansy approached him next. “Why _do_ we listen to you?” She didn’t sound particularly angry, however.  
  
“You’re all free to leave at any time.”  
  
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? No, I think we’ll stick with you. You haven’t gotten any of us killed yet.”  
  
“Please, spare my blushes.”  
  
Pansy snorted and fell silent. She continued to walk next to him.  
  
“Why are you all still with me?”  
  
She shrugged. “Maybe it’s stupid, but I think you’re our best chance. Call it a leap of faith.”


	14. Musings in the Dead of Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 281 - Pie

Why did they stay with him? The question kept nagging at Harry, until he realized what he really wanted to know- why did he stay with them?

Now that the shine had worn off his new companions, Harry was missing his former solitude. Not that he disliked them, but he didn’t particularly like them, either. They were so… needy, and Harry had got over being the Chosen One ages ago.

There was nothing to keep him there. He could walk out now, while they were sleeping, and make his own way again. It would be so easy. Easy as pie.


	15. Cleaning House

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 282 - Spring Cleaning

Harry has safe places all over the city. Most of them are tiny, barely enough room for one person. Finding safety for eight every night is a challenge, but splitting into smaller groups is out of the question.

Luckily, Harry knows of a place. It’s big enough for all of them to live comfortably, but small enough to be fortified by their small group in a reasonable amount of time. There are houses nearby that can be searched for food and anything they might need. There’s nothing magical in the area to attract the undead unexpectedly. Too much work for one person, which is the only reason Harry hasn’t made it his home before now. It’s almost perfect.

They study the squat building from their hiding place across the street. The doors are wide open.

“Is it empty? We can’t be that lucky,” Pansy mutters. As if summoned by her words, a figure stumbles into the doorway, then another.

“This is stupid,” Eddie moans. “There could be dozens.” Owen Cauldwell, the other wizard, nods frantically.

“I have a plan,” Harry tells them. It’s not without risk, but they’re lucky to survive each day, so... “Time for a little spring cleaning.”


	16. After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 283 - April Showers

It’s raining. For once, Harry welcomes it. It trickles from the ends of his hair and down his back, soaking his shirt. It’s cold. Red-tinged drops fall from his gloves and splash on the pavement.

Bodies are strewn at his feet.

“Harry,” Pansy whispers. He understands her reluctance to speak too loudly - she looks like he feels. Owen and Eddie are leaning on each other, and Mr. Roberts is sitting with his head in his hands. With a sudden jolt, Harry realizes he has no idea what Mr. Roberts first name is.

“We did it,” he said. “And we’re alive.”


	17. Something is Rotten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 284 - May Flowers

Running water. Another thing he’d taken for granted Before. Harry wished for a working shower - and a pressure hose to wash away the grisly remains of the undead that didn’t get hauled away with the bodies. There was no escaping the stench of rotting flesh and old blood hanging in the air. Add to that their own unwashed bodies, and…

Harry went scavenging. Cloths, sponges, and soap for bathing. Deodorant. Air freshener. Though it would take more than a few cans of ‘spring garden’ scent to do them any good. Even a real garden full of May flowers wouldn’t help.


	18. A Day Off

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 285 - Here Comes the Sun

One does not simply take the day off during a zombie apocalypse. On the other hand, what was the point of merely surviving? Their daily struggle took its toll on all of them, most especially the Roberts’ children. The pair - a boy and a girl, both under age 10 - never had the chance to just play anymore.

What little Harry could do, he would. He and Carmichael sound-proofed the basement windows. Pansy and the Roberts covered the floor of the largest room in exercise mats they’d found in a nearby gym. Cauldwell unearthed an old record player and a few records. They strung fairy lights about the room and plugged everything into a hand-crank generator. Harry looted a store for a variety of simple toys - mostly balls, jump ropes, and dolls.

It wasn’t a child’s idea of Paradise, but it seemed to do the trick. The girl, Margaret, immediately roped her brother into playing house. The boy, James, declared that he was a famous football star and fulfilled his duties as father by kicking a ball about the room, which Margaret took in stride. Pansy nodded at Cauldwell, who put a record on. “ _Here comes the sun_ …” the Beatles sang.


	19. If You Can't Say Something Nice...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 286 - A Diamond in the Rough

Harry’s been alone in one way or another since childhood. Becoming part of the wizarding world had changed that, though he’d often felt as if he was on the outside looking in. The dead rising and the loss of his friends had plunged him into utter solitude, and the lack of human interaction had had a profound impact on him. Especially his manners, Mrs. Roberts liked to point out.

“I’m not _rude_ ,” he muttered. Abrupt, perhaps. He tried to be polite, as pointless as it sometimes seemed.

“You’re all right, Potter,” Pansy said. “You just need a bit of polish.”


	20. I Get Knocked Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 287 - Pride

If Harry was a bit more egotistical, he’d think Fate was set against him personally. He’d kept the whole group alive and he’d led them to relative safety. They had a place to live and they’d begun to make it something like a home. He didn’t think it was wrong to be proud of that.

Apparently, not being depressed about the state of the world was all the invitation needed for the state of the world to knock him back into the mud. They could and did take care not to attract zombies. Other survivors were a completely different problem.


	21. A Slippery Slope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 288 - Greed

Desperate people made desperate choices. Harry understood why they tried to take what Harry and his group had. They were still dangerous, of course, and he fought them off, killing if he had no other choice. One death was usually enough to deter the rest of them. They wanted to live, after all.

It was the greedy ones who baffled him. They had their own safe places and sources of food and water; they were far from starving. Why go after the little Harry and the others had scrounged? Harry hated them; the sight of their own dead wasn’t enough to deter them- it just meant more for the rest.

The group outside their gates was one of the greedy ones.

“What I wouldn’t give for a Notice-Me-Not charm right now,” Owen grumbled.

Pansy muttered something that sounded like ‘I’d prefer Avada Kedavra’, but he chose not to acknowledge it. Just because he would kill in self-defense didn’t mean he wanted to. He was thankful that the Unforgiveable Curse wasn’t an option; such an easy method of dealing death seemed a slippery slope. How long before killing became second nature? He preferred to keep his humanity as long as possible.


	22. Is This the Zombie Apocalypse or a Soap Opera?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 289 - Lust

“Harry,” Pansy began, “I’m not trying to cause trouble-“

“That’s a change.”

“Ha very ha. I’m completely serious. If Mr. Bloody Roberts doesn’t stop glaring at me just because I’ve got two lovelies keeping me satisfied and he’s not getting any from Mrs. Roberts-“

“But aren’t Owen and Eddie together?”

“Yes, they are. With me. Keep up. It’s called a threesome, Potter, don’t come over all maiden aunt.”

“All right, all right. I don’t know what you expect me to do about Mr. Roberts, though.”

“You needn’t do anything. _I_ will be doing something if he makes another snide remark. Fair warning.”

“Threesomes are unconventional. Maybe it’s that. Instead of- I mean, whatever the Roberts are getting up to, or not, isn’t any of our business.”

“Exactly,” Pansy crowed. “My business isn’t any of his either. But it’s obvious he wants to get laid. He’s practically panting for it.”

“Pansy…” Harry sighed.

“Next time you’re out, pick up some condoms, would you? Get some for Mr. Stick-In-The-Mud Roberts, too. Remind him what his willy is for.”

“Fine. Wait. Do you not know his first name either?”

“You are ridiculous. I’m going to bed.” Pansy raised her voice. “With my boyfriends.”


	23. You Can't Always Get What You Want

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 290 - Envy

“She should share with the rest of us,” Mrs. Roberts hissed. “Everything is for the group. We agreed.”

“We agreed to share the things everyone needs. Is hand cream really-“

“Everything is for the group,” she insisted.

“Pansy got it herself,” Harry held up a hand when Mrs. Roberts opened her mouth, “whilst she was risking her life for necessary supplies. It’s hers.”

“I don’t go out stealing with you. When would I ever have the chance to get my own?”

“You are more than welcome…”

“I couldn’t possibly. I might be killed. What of my children?”

“You might be killed doing anything these days.”

“Why should I risk my life when the Parkinson woman already has the cream? I want my share.”

“If you’re not willing to die for it,” Harry asked, “how badly do you really need it?”

“That is highly inappropriate. Death should not be a… a consequence of wanting hand cream!”

“It shouldn’t be consequence of walking out-of-doors, but here we are.”

“This is… you…” Mrs. Roberts squared her shoulder and set her jaw. “I must insist-“

“Have you tried asking? Politely?” Though Pansy would likely refuse.

Mrs. Roberts turned on her heel and walked away.


	24. Feast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 291 - Gluttony  
> May contain disturbing imagery

It’s a treasure trove. A pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Harry hasn’t seen this much food in one place since his last Hogwarts feast.

There’s so much…

He’s cramming food in his mouth as quickly as he can swallow it. Flavors long-forgotten explode on his tongue. He barely remembers to chew.

Someone is pounding on the door. Harry keeps eating.

Hungry moans fill the air.

Harry tears off another bite. Blood drips down his chin. It drips from the meat in his fist. Pansy is slumped at his feet.

The pounding gets louder.

“Wake up, Potter.”


	25. My Wrath Did Grow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 292 - Anger
> 
> This one ends rather abruptly, but the next chapter will pick up right where this one leaves off. Not quite a cliffhanger, but you may be left hanging ;)

Since his disturbing dream, Harry tends not to look overlong at Pansy. He wonders if that’s how he missed her building anger.

“I’ll kill you,” Pansy screeches. Mr. Roberts is cowering before her, blood spilling from his nose. “Where’s my bat? You’re a dead man, you wanker.”

“No, you can’t,” Harry says firmly.

“Oh, can’t I? I’m rather good at it by now; I’ve had plenty of practice.”

“That’s murder, Pans,” Eddie says. “It’s not like putting down zombies, is it? He’s a person.”

“Not much of one,” she replies, but she steps back. Mrs. Roberts runs to her husband.


	26. Lazy Bum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 293 - Sloth
> 
> A little bit of a resolution? We'll see what the next prompt brings.

“I didn’t do anything,” Mr. Roberts bleats, like a sheep. His wife dabs at his bloody face, alternately cooing comforting nonsense and glaring daggers at Pansy.

“That’s right, he did nothing, as usual, and I was almost killed! I had to save myself _and_ his stupid, lazy arse.” Pansy spits at him. “I refuse to go out scavenging with him again. Let someone else pick up his slack.”

Harry doesn’t know what to say. If Mr. Roberts isn’t pulling his weight, there must be consequences. But what?

Pansy kicks Mr. Roberts in the side. “And that’s for pinching my bum.”


	27. You Reap What You Sow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 294 - Harvest  
> This is related to the prompt only in the loosest sense.

“She’s lying,” Mr. Roberts shouts. “I do my share.”

Mrs. Roberts looks away, her lips pressed tight. Interesting.

“Pansy has many faults,” Harry ignores her glare, “brutal honesty among them. She’s not lying.”

For the first time, Mr. Roberts looks worried. “What now?” he demands. “You can’t throw us out. We’ll be killed.”

Harry hadn’t considered doing that, and certainly not to his family, but something had to be done.

“Your wife and children can stay,” Pansy says coldly. “It’s you that should go.”

Mr. Roberts’ outrage is plain. Before he can start yelling, Harry says, “We’ll vote on it.”


	28. On Things That Are Lost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 295 - Oktoberfest (probably not the first thing that comes to mind when writing about a zombie apocalypse)

“Vote?” Mr. Roberts shrieks. “Vote on how you’ll kill me, you mean?”

“Vote on your punishment,” Harry says coldly. “We can’t let this pass.”

“Toss him out,” Pansy says immediately. “With a hard kick for good measure.”

“That’s a death sentence, Pans,” Owen murmurs.

“Better that than him getting one of us killed.”

“Punishments that don’t involve his death, if you please,” Harry says with a sigh.

“Nothing less will get through his fat head,” Pansy growls.

“Toilet duty?” Eddie asks hesitantly. It’s one of the worst jobs; everyone hates emptying the waste bucket.

“What good will that do? You might as well take him round for a beer at Oktoberfest,” Pansy sneers.

Harry’s brow furrows; Pansy had some odd notions. What did Oktoberfest have to do with anything?

“It’s all he could talk about our last trip out. ‘Vacation in Germany’ this and ‘I could go for a pint’ that and ‘my life is so hard’ the other. As if we all haven’t been living like this for two years.”

“Toilet duty,” Mrs. Roberts says abruptly. “For three months. Will that do?” She looks around at the group and eventually everyone agrees.

“He’s getting off too lightly,” Pansy mutters.


	29. Fair Warning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 296 - Gryffindor

Harry pulls Pansy aside. “You’re acting like a child. Yes, the Roberts can be annoying, but so can you. Stop it. We need each other to survive.”

“We need _them_? For what? They do the bare minimum, if that.”

“I’ll talk to them. But we are a group and we’re going to look out for one another.”

“And if they get the rest of us killed?”

“It won’t come to that. I won’t let it.”

“Ugh, you’re such a Gryffindor.” Pansy rolls her eyes.

“This is the real world, not Hogwarts.”

“Well, _when_ it happens, I’m taking them with me.”


	30. Look, a Distraction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 297 - Hufflepuff

“ _If_ they do get us killed, I won’t be able to stop you, will I?” Harry was very tired. Just getting through each day was hard enough without all this drama. He was considering going off on his own again. If he wasn’t so sure Pansy and the Roberts would be the death of each other…

Owen came over, stopping next to Pansy, but careful not to touch her. “I think we’ve all had enough of each other, yeah?”

“Yes,” Harry said emphatically.

“Always trying to fix things,” Pansy said fondly. “Hufflepuff.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”


	31. It's Not You, It's Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 298 - Ravenclaw

Later, Eddie approached Harry.

“Why don’t Pansy, Owen, and I go on that overnight scavenging trip we’ve been considering?” Eddie had been in Ravenclaw, Harry suddenly remembered. Hermione had caught him selling intelligence-enhancing potions to students at Hogwarts. No wonder Pansy liked him.

He shoved away a pang of loss at the thought of Hermione. “That might be a good idea,” he said. Then something occurred to him. “Will you be coming back?”

Eddie’s face went pink. “If we don’t find another place to stay,” he admitted.

“And if you aren’t killed. Either way, you’re leaving me with the Muggles.”


	32. Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 299 - Slytherin

“Don’t take it so hard, Potter,” Pansy said. “Just think, you’re finally rid of me.”

Harry sighed. “I don’t feel good about splitting up.”

“I will fight my almost inevitable death to my last breath, Harry. Which means not staying with someone who will get me killed.” She paused. “Come with us, Harry.”

“I can’t leave them to die.”

“Of course you can’t, you bloody stupid Gryffindor. Well, I’m going to take care of me and mine.”

“Of course. Bloody stubborn Slytherin,” Harry teased, then grew serious. “I understand. Really. But-“

“I know.” She threw her arms around him. “Goodbye.”


	33. Where's the Mute Button?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 300 - Winter is Coming

It wasn’t his first winter since the zombie apocalypse began, but Harry was dreading this one more.

“…could just leave us like that. What are we to do? Will the two of you be able find enough to feed us through the winter?” Mrs. Roberts had been going on like that for hours, asking the same things over and over and not bothering to listen to Harry’s responses.

He tried anyway. “It will be no different than finding food in the summer.” _Still bloody difficult_.

“The children and I will be unprotected…”

Harry sighed. Where had Mr. Roberts got to?


	34. You Can't Go Home Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 301 - Home for the Holidays

Harry was not too proud to admit he was avoiding the Roberts. Mrs. Roberts alternately complained about Pansy’s leaving and worried about their continued survival. Mr. Roberts kept saying “Buck up, we’ll get through” and thumping him on the shoulder.

“Mr. Harry?” It was Margaret, the Roberts’ daughter.

“Yes?”

“Will we get to go home soon?”

“Oh. Um, I don’t think…” Where were her parents?

“Only it’s almost Christmas and last year Father Christmas couldn’t find us because we weren’t at home. So if we could go back, then he would be able to.”

Harry didn’t know what to say.


	35. Some Things Are Better Left Alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 302 - Philosopher's Stone

Harry’s walking with Hermione along the shores of the lake, Hogwarts looming comfortingly nearby. It’s a beautiful warm day.

“He wasn’t the only person to create one, you know.”

“What?”

“Nicolas Flamel. Pay attention, please. The Ministry had one, the result of decades of study and experimentation. I assisted during the last stages of the project.”

“I don’t-“

“But we got something wrong. It didn’t work precisely as it should.”

“Hermione, are you talking about the Philosopher’s Stone?”

“What else? We weren’t interested in gold, of course. The Elixir of Life, however… But it only gave a terrible sort of unlife. I’m sorry, Harry.”

Harry stops. Clouds gather overhead, heavy and dark, blotting out the sun. “Is this about the zombies?”

“If we’d realized in time, we would have stopped him…”

“Him?”

“The wizard who volunteered to drink the Elixir. He seemed fine. We let him go home. Something happened to him- I don’t know what. He died. And then he came back.”

“But that’s-“

“Not how it works, I know. But it’s all tied to our flawed Stone.”

“Will destroying it stop the zombies?”

“How should I know, Harry? I’m dead. And it’s time for you to wake up.”


	36. Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 303 - Chamber of Secrets

Harry knows he’s dreaming this time. He’s in the Chamber of Secrets with Ron. They’re standing in front of the basilisk’s skeleton. It’s trembling.

“I’ve never been fond of waiting about,” Ron says. “But Hermione convinced me we shouldn’t move on just yet. She’s usually right.”

“Not always.” Harry smiles fondly.

“But usually. Anyway, it’s you, isn’t it?”

“Thanks, Ron.”

“Don’t mention it. So, ‘Mione said your idea might work.”

“Destroy the Stone and the zombies will be stopped?”

“It’s worth a try, right?”

“It might not do anything.”

“Leaving it as it is definitely won’t do anything.”

Harry sighs. “You’re right. If there’s a chance, I have to take it. So where is it?”

Ron shrugs. “Got me, mate. I thought ‘Mione had told you.”

The bones clatter as the basilisk starts to move.

“Are all your dreams like this, Harry?”

“Just ignore it.”

“Right. Look, we’ll find a way to let you know where the bloody thing is, all right?”

“Can’t you come back like this again?”

“Nah, or ‘Mione’d be here herself.”

“Oh.” Harry looks away.

“At least this time we get to say a proper goodbye.”

The basilisk strikes. Harry wakes up.

“Goodbye, Ron,” he whispers.


	37. All I Have to Do is Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 304 - Prisoner of Azkaban

Every night Harry goes to sleep hoping to see his friends. Sometimes he does, but only true dream versions of them. There’s no more discussion of the corrupt Philosopher’s Stone. Perhaps that was only a dream, too.

He’s barely interacting with the Roberts anymore, though he can’t say he minds. They remind him of the Dursleys. What should worry him is how much he’s sleeping, but he doesn’t seem to care about that either.

Harry dreams of Privet Drive. It’s night and he's pulling his trunk down the sidewalk. A large dog appears beside him.

“Sirius?” Harry whispers.

“Hello, Harry.”


	38. All Around Me are Familiar Faces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 305 - Goblet of Fire  
> Title from _Mad World_ by Tears for Fears

“I have a message from Hermione,” Sirius says. They are no longer on Privet Drive, but some random London street. The sun is out, blazing much too brightly.

“What-“ Harry begins.

“The stone is locked in a tower, protected both physically and magically. She doesn’t know the details,” Sirius said apologetically.

“A tower? But-“

“You’ve seen it before, Harry. It’s just here.” Sirius leads Harry past empty houses and shops and abandoned cars. They turn a corner and there it is- the magically-protected tower Harry and the others had seen before they’d found their safe place. Harry can now see the magic surrounding it; it is the source of the brightness he’d thought was the sun. It suddenly reminds him of the Goblet of Fire, the way the flames had flared just before it had spit out his name. He has the same sick feeling in his stomach, too.

The zombies he knows must still surround it are nowhere to be seen. At least here he can escape them.

“I wish we could do more.” Sirius smiles sadly.

“It will have to be enough,” Harry says and turns to Sirius. “Stay,” he begs.

“As long as I can,” Sirius promises.


	39. With Appearances By

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 306 - Order of the Phoenix

Harry thinks that will be the end of it; his friends have told him what they know. He isn’t expecting the succession of dreams – and the people in them – that come each night.

Kingsley Shacklebolt, who tells him of possible ways to get through the tower’s wards.

Mundungus Fletcher, with tips on sneaking and thieving.

Moody, full of offensive and defensive spells and ‘constant vigilance’.

Remus and Tonks, who dole out advice and affection.

A parade of Weasleys – Arthur, Molly, Bill, Charlie – whose visits are more to cheer him than prepare him.

He waits for his parents. They never come.


	40. Back in the Classroom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 307 - The Half-Blood Prince

Harry shouldn’t have been surprised, but he honestly wasn’t expecting to see Snape. The man’s sneer was firmly in place, just as Harry remembered it.

“There is only one way to destroy a philosopher’s stone,” Snape began abruptly. “A potion of rare potency, one which cannot be found in any book of potion-making. And so I am here to teach you to prepare it. Let us hope you’ve grown beyond your usual bumbling about the cauldron.”

“I did all right with actual instruction,” Harry muttered. Snape ignored him.

What followed was one of the longest nights of Harry’s life. He repeated a list of ingredients over and over until he could do it without stumbling over the names, the amounts needed, and whether they should be chopped, crushed, or sliced. Then the instructions, with the precise timing and which way to stir and with what material.

Once he could recite it all, Snape conjured up a cauldron and made Harry follow the memorized recipe, watching in silence until he made a mistake. He made many.

He finally earned Snape’s grudging approval just before waking. He lay there, ingredients swimming in his head. “Where am I going to find dragon’s blood?”


	41. Once More Unto the Breach

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 308 - The Deathly Hallows  
> Title courtesy of William Shakespeare's _Henry V_

Harry has a plan; there’s no reason to delay any longer. The Roberts aren’t happy he’s going, but Harry ignores them; it makes his life easier. He’ll go to Pansy first – she might help if he asks. Then on to Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley, which hopefully are no longer overrun now that the spells hiding them are long gone. If luck is with him, he will survive the journey _and_ find everything he needs for the potion. Then to the Tower. With more luck, he’ll be able to get in.

He’s probably going to die. Ah well, it wouldn’t be the first time. He just needs to live long enough.

One more night, then. One more dream, if anyone comes. If there’s anyone left to come.

When Harry’s parents show up, he’s sure at first they’re only a product of his overwhelming desire to see them – another true dream. They laugh and cry over him, hug him, give him earnest advice about his coming ordeal. His mother worries over him and his father beams proudly. It’s everything Harry ever wanted.

He can’t help but remember that the last time he saw them, he had been walking to his death.


	42. Uneasy Lies the Head

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 309 - Up All Night  
> Title from William Shakespeare's _Henry IV, Part II_

Harry can’t sleep.

Getting to Pansy’s new hideout had been easy. He’d expected more trouble, either from zombies or other survivors or even the Roberts. But the Roberts had only glared sullenly as he left and his walk had been… well, a walk in the park. Harry isn’t superstitious, but he can’t shake off a feeling of impending doom.

So he’d reached Pansy, and of course his plan hadn’t survived past telling it to her.

“You’re mad,” she’d said when he’d told her of his dreams. “And if you aren’t mad, you’re stupid. You won’t find any of those ingredients in a _shop_.”

“Do you have a better idea, then?”

“There’s only one place _I_ know. I suppose I’ll have to take you there.” She’d rolled her eyes, but there had been a tiny smile on her face. “I could do with a bit of excitement. Things are getting far too dull.”

Harry doubts that, but if she’s willing to help... He hadn’t come up with an alternative plan if he can’t find what he’s looking for in Diagon Alley. Pansy’s suggestion makes sense, but it’s also keeping him awake. He hasn’t been back to Malfoy Manor since the war.


	43. Selfish Is As Selfish Does

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 310 - Vice or Virtue

They leave early in the morning. They can’t walk all the way to Malfoy Manor – it would take too long and they’re likely to be killed along the way. No, they’re just getting far enough away from their respective hideouts so they don’t bring a load of zombies down on their fellow survivors’ heads when they Apparate.

The possibility that they may find themselves surrounded by zombies when they arrive is a problem they’ll deal when they come to it.

“I’m so looking forward to using my magic,” Pansy says fervently but quietly. She has her wand out, though they’re nowhere near the spot they’d agreed upon as an Apparition point. “Honestly, that’s the only reason I’m helping you.”

“Not because I’ve got a chance to stop all this once and for all?” Harry teases.

“Not at all. You’re quite mad and this isn’t going to work.”

“It’s just us, you don’t have to pretend you’re entirely selfish right now.”

“Selfishness has saved me and those I love. You’re the one who insists on being full of virtue and self-sacrifice.”

“I’m hardly virtuous,” Harry protests.

“Can’t deny the self-sacrifice bit, though, can you?”

“It does keep coming up,” he murmurs.


	44. Bless You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 311 - Allergy

“We’re far enough away, don’t you think?” Pansy asks. They’re on a random street; two zombies are shambling towards them, and several more are coming from further away.

“This is good,” Harry agrees. Pansy takes his arm and he’s being yanked along into nothingness. It’s been a long time since he last apparated, and even longer since someone’s taken him Side-along. He barely has time to feel the magic thrumming through his body and then they’re standing in front of the gates of Malfoy Manor.

Harry draws his wand and turns around in a slow circle, taking in the venomous tentacula entwined through the bars of the gate and the apparent lack of magical wards as he checks for the undead. There’s no sign of them except for a few detached arms entangled in the writhing vines.

“What do you think?” he asks Pansy.

“I hadn’t thought it would be so changed,” she murmurs. Then, slightly louder, “I’d half expected to find Draco strutting about the place like one of those bloody peacocks.”

“Can we get in?”

Pansy shakes her head. “There’s another way, or there was. But…”

“But?”

“It’s through a stand of shrivelfig plants. They make me sneeze.”


	45. Here's the Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 312 - Restless

“A few sneezes-“ Harry begins.

“Constant sneezing, watery eyes, and my throat swells shut. I’d rather not chance it, if it’s all the same to you.” Pansy folds her arms, her wand pointed worryingly in Harry’s direction. He shifts to one side.

“Magic it is. What if the tentacula was gone?” As if in response, the tentacula vines begin to move even more restlessly. The nearest detached arm waves at them.

“The gate is locked, and _Alohomora_ doesn’t work on it. I’ve tried,” she adds under her breath.

“Through the shrivelfigs, then. Would a Bubble-Head Charm work?”

“It might do.”


	46. A Pleasant Walk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 313 - Summertime

Pansy leads him down an overgrown path along the edge of the Malfoy estate. A brick wall separates the property from the outside world; it’s overgrown with plants, both magical and non-magical. They pass a small wrought-iron gate and Harry can see the well-kept grounds through gaps in the greenery.

They continue to follow the wall, eventually leaving the path to push their way through tall grass. Insects leap away as they approach. If they didn’t have to be on guard against lurking zombies, this could almost be a pleasant walk in the countryside on a lovely summer day.

A bee drifts past. There’s a low hum in the air; it grows louder as they go on.

“But the wards are down. Why…,” Pansy slows to a stop, a puzzled frown on her face.

“What?”

She shakes her head. “Nearly there. Time for the charm.” She raises her wand, then pauses. “I’m not completely sure, but there may be zombies ahead.”

“What?” Harry says again, but there’s already a bubble of air around her head.

“Let’s go.” Her voice is so muffled he only understands what she is saying by reading her lips.

_This is not going to end well._


	47. Defensive Measures

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 314 - Stormy Weather

Pansy forges ahead with Harry close behind her, his wand at the ready. The humming has become a steady drone, like they’re inside a swarm of bees.

They slow as they approach an upcoming corner, keeping as close to the wall as they can. A pink blossom snaps at Pansy’s head and hits the charmed bubble instead. Harry ducks under it.

At the corner, Pansy carefully peers around it. She looks back at Harry with a puzzled frown, then shrugs and continues walking, waving for him to follow. Still no sign of zombies.

Soon, they’re standing in front of a nondescript section of the wall. Pansy plunges her hand into the mass of foliage and stumbles forward. She’s in up to her shoulder before Harry realizes something’s wrong. He reaches for her, and she yanks him along, pulling them both into the wall.

They’re in an alcove with barely enough room for the both of them. Pansy grins and starts climbing up the wall, using offset bricks as hand- and foot-holds. Harry climbs after her. At the top, they find themselves overlooking an elaborate garden.

Dark clouds begin to form directly overhead and the wind begins to gust around them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is still a surprising (or perhaps not) lack of zombies in this series. I can't promise them anytime soon, either. But they're there, inherent to the setting, and they have to show up eventually.


	48. That Was Too Easy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 315 - Holiday

A torrent of rain falls on their heads. Harry casts a Shield charm over the two of them – if any zombies are going to be attracted by their magic, it’s happened already, so they might as well be comfortable.

Pansy climbs down, disappearing into the vegetation. Harry hurries to catch up to her, slipping a little on the wet bricks. She’s waiting impatiently when he finally reaches the bottom.

She points at the plants looming over them. “Shrivelfigs,” she mouths. Harry looks up – these are much larger than the shrivelfigs he and his classmates had pruned back at Hogwarts. He nods and waves at her to carry on.

The bushes are planted in orderly rows. Pansy leads them on a seemingly random path, cutting across rows and doubling back for no reason Harry can tell. He keeps his ears open and his wand at the ready. The only sounds are the wind and the rain and their footsteps on the soft earth.

Pansy hurries toward the end of the row where Harry can see a bright light. They’re running by the time they reach it and they burst out onto a large open space with an elaborate stone fountain in the middle of it. The sun is shining down on them. Harry looks back at the shrivelfig stand – the storm is still raging. Pansy raises her wand and aims a spell at herself, causing an eddy of wind to swirl around her entire body and then away. Then she ends the Bubble-Head Charm.

“When this is over,” Pansy says, taking a deep breath, “I’m going on holiday.”

“What about your allergy?” Harry asks.

“I think I’ll be fine now. Funny, that used to be a light rain.”

“Something’s gone wrong with the enchantment?”

She shrugs. “Now for the next bit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now I've graduated to a triple drabble. That's what happens when I try to fit the prompts to an actual plot.


	49. Guiding Star

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 316 - star

“Stand here,” Pansy commands him, going to stand inside a small circle inscribed with sixteen symmetrical points like a star – a compass rose. “As close as you can.”

Harry moves right behind her, his chest against her back. They are facing north. Pansy holds her wand out balanced on the flat of her hand. She whispers something Harry can’t hear, even as close as he is, and the wand begins to swing back and forth. It’s almost like Hermione’s Four-Point spell, but when the wand finally stops, it’s pointing southeast – away from the manor house.

“Keep hold of my hand.” Pansy holds up her free hand and Harry grabs it without moving out from behind her. She turns in the direction her wand is pointing and takes one step forward. They are both immediately pulled as if by an invisible string toward an overgrown pathway. Harry stumbles at the unexpected movement, but they are moving slowly enough that he catches his balance before he falls.

“Sorry,” Pansy says with smirk. “Forgot about that.”

“Sure,” Harry grumbles. The pull takes them through tangles of bushes and over low stone walls, until they come to another compass rose.

“Here we go again.”


	50. Here There Be Dragons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 317 - Astronomy

They follow the pull of the compass rose circles a countless number of times. Harry’s hopelessly turned around; the manor isn’t visible through the greenery and he can’t even guess where it is. Pansy is unconcerned when he points that out.

“It doesn’t matter where it is _now_ , only that it’s there at the end.”

Finally they come to a stop in a clearing. It’s dark, though the sun had just been shining. Stars hang overhead; Harry doesn’t know much astronomy, but the constellations aren’t in the right places. Pansy studies them intently.

“That’s the one,” she says, pointing. “Draco.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 50 chapters?!


	51. Open Sesame

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 318 - Charms

Pansy stands in the center of the clearing. She raises her wand, faces the constellation and carefully traces an outline of it in the air. Glowing lines float from the end of her wand and up into the sky. The stars glow brightly as the light connects them. When Pansy’s done, she gives her wand a peculiar flick and says, “ _Dissendium!_ ”

The constellation drops down and circles around them before blazing a trail through the bushes and trees.

“Where did you learn that?” Harry asks. “They don’t teach it in Charms.”

“Private tutors,” she replies with a sniff. “Let’s go.”


	52. Nature Walk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 319 - Herbology

Their path is a neatly paved walkway which meanders among the garden plots. It vanishes behind them – there’s no turning back.

Now that they aren’t in such a hurry, Harry has time to appreciate the variety of plants around them. He recognizes some of them, both magical and nonmagical, but it’s hard to tell what’s what otherwise. He keeps to the middle of the path after a flowering bush snaps at him as he passes by. Pansy laughs.

“I should have paid more attention to Professor Sprout,” he says.

_Neville would like this_ , Harry thinks sadly, _if he’s still alive_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Which Hogwarts class will it be next time? Are Harry and Pansy close to the end of their journey yet? Only the prompts know for sure.


	53. The Door in the Hedge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 320 - Transfiguration

Their path disappears under a hedgerow. The starlight dragon hovers in front of it, its light pulsing gently. Pansy dispels it with a wave of her wand.

“Here we are,” Pansy says with an unspoken ‘finally’ in her voice.

“I’d hate to do this every time I visited my garden,” Harry says.

“It’s only for uninvited guests.” She waves her wand again. A window appears in the hedge; she scowls at it. “I’m pants at transfiguration. Could you do a door?”

Harry obliges, changing the hedge into an ornate wooden door. They step through it.

Before them stands Malfoy Manor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With apologies to Robin McKinley. The only thing this drabble has in common with her book is the title. 
> 
> And as Pansy doesn't quite say... Finally.


	54. History Lesson

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 321 - History of Magic

Harry hadn’t gotten a good look at the manor the first he had been there. It’s impressive, though not his style.

“The Malfoys have held this land since William the Conqueror gifted it to Armand Malfoy,” Pansy says. “Malfoys stood with kings, once.” She shakes her head. “Draco told me that story the first time I came for a visit. Seeing it now, it’s the only thing I can think of.”

The Statute of Secrecy had come about well after William the Conqueror, Harry knows, though the exact date escapes him. He’d forgotten much of his History of Magic class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feeling uninspired this time around, but here it is.


	55. The Price of Prophecy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 322 - Divination

Despite Harry’s certainty that it wouldn’t, the door opens easily when Pansy turns the handle. The step inside and find themselves in a gloomy hall. The floor is marble and a long carpet leads from the door they had come through to another one at the far end. The walls are lined with shrouded portraits. In front of each portrait is a small table. On each is set an item, including several crystal balls, a few tea sets, decks of cards, and even a severed hand; Harry shudders and looks away.

“The family used to employ seers, generations ago,” Pansy tells him. “These were all the fakes and frauds.”

At Pansy’s words, a sibilant whisper fills the air and the shrouds on some of the paintings start to flutter. Harry can make out a few words – ‘fake’, ‘fraud’, and ‘sayest thou so, wench’ being the loudest.

Pansy rolls her eyes and begins to walk across the room. “If you couldn’t actually see the future, you shouldn’t have pretended you did,” she announces.

Harry hurries to catch up. “What, these people couldn’t tell the future, so the Malfoys killed them?”

“That was a long time ago,” she says with a shrug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea of the layout of Malfoy Manor, so here's to making things up.


	56. To the Manor Born

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 323 - Care of Magical Creatures

The door opens into another hall, bigger and just as gloomy, but without the oppressive atmosphere of the one they’d just left.

“We shouldn’t run into any magical defenses in here,” Pansy says in a low voice.

“I certainly hope not,” Harry mutters.

Stone staircases run up the walls on either side of them. Pansy leads him up the one on the left. They pass dozens of empty portraits, though Harry notices small flickers of movement in some of them, as if someone is peeking at them from around the edges of the frames.

“This is the family wing,” Pansy tells him when they reach the second floor. The landing branches off in two directions. “Draco’s rooms are this way.”

There are several doors along a wide hallway, all of them closed. Pansy ignores them and goes straight to an alcove set in the wall about halfway down.

Inside the alcove there’s a small table with a ceramic figurine set on it. Pansy touches it with her wand and a door appears in its place.

“Draco’s hobby room,” she says.

As soon as her hand touches the door handle, there’s a loud crack and Pansy and Harry are pushed back against the opposite wall.

“You are not to be touching Master Draco’s things,” a high-pitched voice tells them. Standing in front of them is a house-elf wearing a tea towel like a sarong.

“Tribby,” Pansy gasps. “What are you doing? Let us go.”

“Master Draco said Tribby is in charge until he comes back,” the house-elf says in a trembling voice, “and he did not say anyone is to be touching his things.”

“Tribby-“

“Master and Mistress are not well. They are not to be disturbed. No guests!”

“We won’t bother them,” Harry begins.

A shriek resounds through the hallway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another triple drabble!


	57. What's Cooking?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 324 - Potions

Tribby disappears with a snap and Harry and Pansy are suddenly free.

“What-“ Harry begins.

“Hurry, before she comes back.” Pansy hurries into the hobby room.

“But-“

“We can get ourselves killed sticking our noses in _later_ ,” Pansy insists. “Let’s go, you bloody stupid Gryffindor. Do you want to save the world again or not?”

After a long look down the hallway, Harry reluctantly follows her into the hidden room. Inside is a potions lab that rivals any Harry has ever seen – although that’s only the Potions classroom at Hogwarts. Cauldrons of various sizes and materials line one set of shelves, jars and bottles full of ingredients another.

“Get started,” Pansy snaps from the doorway. Her head is cocked to one side, the better to hear if anything comes down the hallway.

Harry fills a cauldron with water and sets it over a low flame, then retrieves the ingredients he needs. Malfoy really does have everything – certainly more than Harry had ever come across in the Apothecary in Diagon Alley.

He lets the memory of his dream guide his hand; he hardly has to consult his notes. One last ingredient – dragon’s blood – plus three stirs counterclockwise and it’s finally ready.


	58. Calm Before the Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 325 - Arithmancy

While the potion cools, Harry studies the row of books set well away from the work table. The expected potion-making books are there – recipes, potion theory, and biographies of Potions Masters – but there are also several arithmancy books. They’re less worn than the potions books, but they have obviously been read several times.

“Draco wanted to become a curse breaker,” Pansy says from the doorway. “Despite his father disapproval.”

“Oh.” Harry wonders where Malfoy is now. Tribby had spoken as if he were alive. Is it possible?

He pours the potion into a metal flask. Another scream fills the air.


	59. How Do You Even Know That?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 326 - Ancient Runes

They hurry back toward the landing, Harry slightly ahead of Pansy.

“We should just leave,” Pansy hisses.

She’s probably right, but Harry can’t leave if someone needs help. He has to at least try. After all, he’s managed to survive everything thrown at him so far, even death.

At the end of the hallway, Harry bounces off of thin air. Pansy crashes into him.

“What?” Harry puts out his hand. There’s an invisible barrier keeping them in – or out. “Pansy?”

Pansy shakes her head. “There shouldn’t be anything like this indoors.”

“Tribby’s doing?”

“Possibly,” Pansy says doubtfully.

Harry tries every spell he can think of to remove the barrier, but nothing works. In desperation, he points his wand and says, “Revelio.”

“Really, Potter, what-“

An odd glowing shape hangs in the air just at eye level.

“What?” it’s Pansy’s turn to say.

“Wait, this looks familiar.” Harry squints at the shape. Where would he have seen such a thing? And then he can almost hear Hermione’s voice, complaining about missing something on her OWL in... “Ancient Runes!”

Pansy squints at him. “ _You_ took Study of Ancient Runes?”

“Of course not. Eihwaz,” he says, hoping he’s right, and the shape disappears.


	60. Success is Fleeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 327 - Celebrate

“I won’t ask how you knew that,” Pansy says. “Did it work?”

Harry reaches out, expecting to find the barrier still standing – it couldn’t be that easy, could it? His fingers find nothing and he steps forward; perhaps he isn’t close enough. He’s on the landing before he finally believes it’s gone.

“Excellent,” he says, relieved. “That’s sorted.”

“We can celebrate your uncanny luck later. Where do we go from here?”

Harry shakes his head. “I have no idea.” There’s nothing to indicate where the scream came from.

But Harry’s never needed help finding trouble. Another scream echoes around them.


	61. Here Comes Trouble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 328 - frozen

The scream is coming from the other part of the family wing, the part Harry presumes was used by Draco’s parents.

He remembers Tribby’s words: _Master and Mistress are not well_. That could mean anything from ‘they don’t want company’ to ‘they’re stumbling about the manor as undead beings’. Given the state of the world, Harry is willing to put money on the latter option; honestly, what are the chances they merely had head colds?

Narcissa runs toward them, clearly alive and terrified. Behind her is Lucius, clearly dead and hungry.

“Glacius,” Harry yells and freezes Lucius on the spot.


	62. Nothing To See Here; Move Along

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 329 - Tea

Tribby appears behind Lucius. “Master is not well,” she squeaks. She snaps her fingers and Lucius is dragged away, his frozen hands still reaching for them.

Narcissa puts a hand to her head. “I don’t understand,” she says faintly. “Pansy? I didn’t know you were coming to visit, dear. And with Mr. Potter?”

“We weren’t expecting to visit, ma’am.” Pansy throws a confused look at Harry.

“I’m afraid Draco is out. We aren’t receiving guests at the moment. Lucius…” her brow wrinkles, “…isn’t well.”

Tribby reappears. “It’s time for Mistress to have her tea!” She starts to lead Narcissa away.


	63. Hopping Mad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 330 - Pepperup Potion

Harry and Pansy exchange looks and start to follow Tribby and Narcissa. 

Narcissa stops abruptly. “We have guests, Tribby. Bring refreshments to my sitting room.” She sweeps ahead of them, leaving Tribby wringing her hands.

“Yes, Mistress,” Tribby squeaks. Her little hands clench into tight fists and she hops from foot to foot. Smoke begins to rise from her ears, as if she had just taken Pepperup Potion. “You may join Mistress in the sitting room,” she says finally. Her gray skin has an odd green tinge.

“Thank you,” Pansy says carefully. She and Harry give Tribby a wide berth.


	64. Just Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 331 - Be Mine

In the sitting room, Narcissa is seated in a high-backed chair that closely resembles a throne.

“Please, sit,” she tells them, indicating an uncomfortable looking sofa.

Pansy sits with her back ramrod-straight so it doesn’t touch the sofa. Harry, feeling himself sinking into his usual slouch, quickly does the same.

Tribby appears with a tea tray floating behind her. The cups clink gently as it settles on the table. She pours the tea to their liking, then disappears without a word, her disapproval hanging around her like a cloud.

“Tell me,” Narcissa says, “how long have you two been together?”


	65. In Case of Emergency

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 332 - Emergency

Harry chokes on his tea. “We’re not-“

“As if I would have him,” Pansy says with a sniff.

“Your family never was very good at making advantageous marriages,” Narcissa says absently.

Pansy stiffens even more, but remains silent.

“Why are you here?” Narcissa asks abruptly. “Draco is out. Lucius isn’t well.” She looks at her cup of tea. “He isn’t well,” she mumbles.

Tribby stumbles through the door holding a candlestick. Her skin is almost entirely gray-green. “Mistress,” she squeaks. “They’re coming.” She falls to her knees. “Go to Master Draco.”

A familiar drawn out moan sounds outside the door.


	66. Where Do We Go From Here?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 333 - One Third

Harry and Pansy fling themselves toward the door, racing to close it before the zombie tries to push its way in. Harry catches a glimpse of it; even with one third of its face missing it’s obvious that it isn’t Lucius.

_They’re coming_.

He yells “ _Everte statum_!” and the zombie flies backward. Pansy blockades the door with another quick spell.

They turn to find Narcissa rising regally from her seat. She approaches Tribby, who is now laying on the floor. She retrieves the candlestick in Tribby’s hand and looks at them expectantly.

“You’re welcome to join me,” she tells them.


	67. We're Off To See the Wizard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 334 - In Secret

“Join you?” Pansy asks warily.

Harry kneels beside Tribby. She’s not dead, but she soon will be. There’s a fresh bite mark on her arm and a curl of dread ripples through him. He hasn’t seen any undead house elves and he hopes he’s not about to.

“To retrieve Draco,” Narcissa says. “His silly secret project will have to wait. It’s time he came home. Perhaps he can convince Lucius to see a physician.”

A thud on the door hastens their decision. They each put a hand on the candlestick.

“Sanctimonia vincet semper,” Narcissa says. The Portkey whisks them away.


	68. Journey's End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 335 - countdown

Harry stumbles when they arrive at their destination, disoriented as always by the transportation spell.  They’re in a large room. It’s obviously someone’s – rather spartan – living space; there’s a bed and a nightstand to one side and a table that serves as a desk as well as a place to eat on the other, with a straight-backed chair piled with books next to it, as well as an empty one for sitting.

Deliberate footsteps come from outside the door, getting louder as they approach, steady as a countdown. The door opens and a familiar figure enters.

“Draco,” Narcissa says warmly.


	69. Into the Fire?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt #336 - Desperate

Draco stops when he sees them. “Mother. Pansy,” he says, surprised. His eyes meet Harry’s. “Potter?” He swiftly closes the door. “What’s happened?”

“Draco,” Narcissa begins. “I must insist you come home at once. Your father isn’t well.”

“Father? But isn’t he-“ Draco looks at Pansy, who shrugs and nods.

Narcissa looks around, her eyes unfocused. “Where’s my tea?” she murmurs, wandering over to the lone empty chair. “Have Tribby bring it, won’t you dear?”

“What is going on?” Draco hisses at Pansy.

 “Things were getting a bit desperate, Draco,” Pansy says.

Draco sighs. “You won’t find any improvement here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looking back at previous chapters, I realized at some point I shifted from past tense to present tense. *sigh*


End file.
